Refugee Council

In the ongoing war in Gaza, teachers face a dual burden as caregivers supporting traumatized children and as community members exposed to the same violence and trauma. Teachers are therefore at high risk for burnout and supporting teachers' well-being is critical during war. In the context of extreme stress and crisis, supporting those who deliver psychosocial support to children is essential. This paper presents the development, implementation and piloting of an intervention to improve teachers' psychological well-being self-care during war. A bottom-up approach was used to assess the needs and difficulties of Gazan teachers using "listening sessions," and a group intervention was co-developed in collaboration with those living and working in the war zone. A mixed-methods design was employed for the pilot study, utilizing quantitative data from a pre- and post-assessment tool completed by teachers in Gaza (n = 33) and in the West Bank (n = 24), alongside qualitative data from listening sessions with teachers, steering committee meetings, and field notes. Listening sessions revealed that Gazan teachers felt overwhelmed by intense and ongoing traumatic events and loss alongside significant ongoing external stressors. Based on these findings, a 3-session intervention focusing on self-care and peer support was developed and piloted. Quantitative data showed significant pre-post improvements in well-being (t(48) = 7.48), coping skills (t(48) = 7.13), and sense of meaning t(49) = 3.56), while qualitative findings highlighted increased cognitive flexibility and focus through social support, new awareness and insights, and coping strategies. This brief and feasible support intervention for teachers showed significant very positive effects on their subjective sense of well-being and coping in the midst of war stressors. It is expected that the teachers' improved coping during wartime will also increase their ability to positively interact with the stressed and traumatized children they support in educational settings.

The article examines the features of applying the principles of good administration in a crisis.The definition of a crisis in EU and Ukrainian law is considered.It is concluded that the definitions proposed in the legislation state what facts can be considered a crisis, but it is important to understand how to respond to such a crisis and its consequences.The article analyses the application of the principles of good administration during the Covid-19 epidemic, as an example of rapid response to a crisis.The peculiarities of the operation of the principles of good administration in Ukraine under martial law are revealed.Special attention is paid to the importance of the international protection mechanism as a result of combating the consequences of the crisis is separately analysed.The importance of the principles of good administration for the functioning of the international protection mechanism is considered.

Mental health care is vital to refugee integration, yet current frameworks often lack the cultural sensitivity needed to address distinct subgroup needs. This limits the understanding of how cultural and experiential factors shape refugees' mental health and responses to care. Research that predominantly treats refugees as a homogeneous group overlooks these differences, hindering the development of effective, nuanced interventions. Although social connectedness is widely recognized as protective for mental health, prior research often has simplified this to general social support measures, overlooking the unique structure and function of refugees' social networks. To address these gaps, this pilot study used a community-based participatory approach and egocentric network data to examine social support, social network characteristics, and mental health across six refugee groups-Bhutanese, Burmese, Congolese, Iraqi, Somali, and Syrian-resettled in Arizona, a key U.S. resettlement location. Our sample (N = 150) was 53.0% male and 47.0% female with an average age of 41.4 years; 31.3% reported no formal education and 44.7% were unemployed. Univariate analyses revealed significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics, social support levels, social network characteristics, and mental health statuses (psychological distress and suicidal thoughts) among refugee subgroups. These findings underscore the need for culturally responsive interventions that encourage cross-cultural engagement, expand community support, and foster diverse networks to support refugee mental health and integration. This study is the first to employ egocentric network data to compare social networks and mental health indicators among Arizona's refugee subgroups.

Abstract After more than 2 years of intense public debate, controversy, and nationwide protests, the Amendment Bill on Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (ICRRA) was passed into law by the Japanese Diet in June 2023 and took full effect in June 2024. The Bill contained problematic proposals regarding asylum, detention, and deportation, receiving harsh national and international criticism. The legislative negotiation process saw a real possibility of bipartisan compromise and substantial revisions to reduce the risks for unlawfully staying asylum seekers. Ironically, this possibility was crushed by a few politicians and pro-human rights activists who rejected any compromise and inadvertently allowed the original government-sponsored Bill to be passed by the Diet. Based on my direct involvement in the negotiation process as an independent expert witness who testified before the Japanese Diet, this field reflection underlines the critical importance of political analysis and strategic concessions, particularly on controversial subjects like irregular migration and failed asylum seekers.

For more than four decades, community sponsorship has seen refugees successfully settled in hundreds of regional communities in Canada beyond the reach of metropolitan settlement service providers. In 2022 the Australian Department of Home Affairs, inspired by the Canadian experience, launched the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP) in partnership with Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA), a national charity working to expand and improve refugee resettlement in Australia by harnessing the generosity, goodwill and social capital of everyday Australians. Testing the capacity of the CRISP model to support settlement in regional Australia was one of several objectives of this pilot, which is now set to become permanent in 2026. This chapter has been written independently by the authors and has not been endorsed by the Department of Home Affairs or the Australian Government. Since its launch, the CRISP has seen dozens of refugee households settle in regional Australia, in places not previously designated by the federal government as primary settlement regions. As a result, the CRISP is providing a modest-scale experiment in deconcentration of refugee settlement beyond metropolitan areas using a grassroots community-led approach. In practice, refugee newcomers are experiencing the positive impact of being warmly embraced by engaged community members, while also navigating new challenges and ways to approach integration and belonging, sometimes without day-to-day access to large diaspora networks. Engaged communities are taking local steps to address the global refugee crisis and experiencing the many collateral benefits of this approach.

The recognition of education as a key domain of refugee integration and the recent emphasis on regional refugee resettlement by the Australian Government have led to a growing scholarly interest in refugee education in regional Australia. There has, however, been a paucity of research on the experiences of new resettlement areas in building educational opportunities for newly arrived refugees in areas with underdeveloped infrastructures. This paper aims to introduce and expand the concept of ‘education pioneer migrants’ through an ethnographic case study in ‘Rolling Hills’, a regional Australian city. Drawing on fieldnotes, interviews and focus groups with refugee-background students, their parents, educators and community stakeholders, this study explores how one regional Australian city developed arrival infrastructures to support the educational needs of newly arrived refugees, and the impact of these infrastructures (or lack thereof) on their educational experiences. Following a reflexive thematic analysis, key findings from the study highlight the delayed establishment of arrival infrastructures to support the needs of education pioneer migrants, and its detrimental impact on students and educators, who are ‘forced’ to become educational arrival brokers in new resettlement areas. The findings thus emphasize the importance of considering education in settlement planning for refugee communities in regional spaces.

Previous studies have highlighted the high burden of oral diseases in refugee camps, but there are few robustly evaluated school-based oral health programmes in these settings. The objective of this study was to pilot a school-based toothbrushing, handwashing, and silver diamine fluoride (SDF) application in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. It hosts the world's largest number of refugees with over 1 million Rohingya from Myanmar. A prospective cohort study that consisted of a multipronged oral health intervention: supervised daily toothbrushing, handwashing, and SDF application of active caries in the primary and permanent dentition. Clinical examination of the children and child and parental questionnaires were completed at baseline and the 6-month follow-up. A total of 176 children were assessed at baseline, with a follow-up rate of 87.5%. The number of children reporting regular toothbrushing and handwashing significantly increased between baseline and 6-month follow-up, with a corresponding fall in plaque and bleeding scores. There was a 54.3% caries arrest rate in teeth where SDF was applied. Supervised toothbrushing and SDF application in learning centres in refugee camps can improve the oral health of refugee children and instil healthy hygiene habits. Further research is warranted to robustly assess the long-term impact of this intervention and scalability across humanitarian settings. In the absence of accessible oral health care in refugee camps, low-resource oral health interventions can safeguard oral health and instil healthy hygiene habits from a young age.

BackgroundIndividuals with severe mental illness (SMI) experience significantly higher rates of poor oral health, including dental caries, periodontal disease, and edentulism, compared to the general population. This meta-synthesis investigates the challenges faced by individuals with SMI in managing oral health and potential solutions.MethodsA comprehensive literature search (2010–2024) was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar for any-language studies. The meta-synthesis involved systematic article selection, quality appraisal, and thematic data extraction/synthesis.ResultsFrom 1,698 records, 101 full-text articles were reviewed; 11 met the inclusion criteria. Findings consistently demonstrate a high prevalence of poor oral health outcomes (caries, tooth loss, periodontal disease) among individuals with SMI, alongside significantly lower engagement in oral hygiene (e.g., toothbrushing) and dental care-seeking behaviours. Key barriers include financial constraints, dental anxiety, medication side effects (notably xerostomia), and low oral health awareness. Stigma and inadequate dental professional training in mental health further impede access. Proposed solutions emphasise integrating oral health education into psychiatric rehabilitation, enhancing communication between dental and mental health providers, and developing tailored support systems. Evidence suggests a bidirectional relationship between oral and mental health.ConclusionThis meta-synthesis confirms a stark oral health disparity for individuals with SMI, driven by suboptimal hygiene, medication effects, limited health literacy, and formidable access barriers compounded by financial hardship and stigma. Addressing this requires urgent, coordinated integration of mental and oral healthcare through co-located services, interdisciplinary collaboration, and tailored interventions. Future research must prioritise quantitative studies to elucidate causal pathways and long-term impacts, rigorously examining the roles of gender, geography, environment, and comorbidities. Bridging this divide is an essential public health imperative demanding systemic reform.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024516535, identifier PROSPERO [CRD42024516535].

Oral health (OH) of refugees is under-researched and most publications are from developed countries despite the majority of refugees hosted in low-middle income countries. Most of the Rohingya refugees in the camps in Bangladesh have no access to dental care. The objective of this study was to report on the OH behaviours and utilisation of an emergency dental service in the camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. This study utilised the data from clinical records of Rohingya refugees attending an emergency dental clinic in camp four in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh from February 2019 to March 2020. Data included education levels, OH practices, tobacco consumption, diagnosis and treatment provided. Descriptive analysis of the data was undertaken. A total of 4111 patients were included, of which 50.1% were female. Education levels were very low, with 75.8% reporting no formal education. Although daily toothbrushing was reported by 64.4%, there was significant variation in the materials used for a dentifrice, with 78.1% using abrasive substances. Tobacco use was high, with 65.7% reporting its use, and of those, 95.4% chewed paan. Pain was the commonly reported symptom (87.1%) and nearly half, 46.9%, reported poor OH. Functional difficulties and problems sleeping were highly prevalent, at 85.3% and 51.6% respectively. A high prevalence of caries was reported, at 79.8%, and a mean number of 2.8 teeth affected. Extraction and temporary restorations were the common treatment modalities, at 52.1% and 23.1% respectively. The Rohingya refugees in the camps in Bangladesh have low education levels, unhealthy oral health practices, high consumption of tobacco and a high prevalence of oral disease. Further research is required to inform the design and delivery of community-based oral health intervention strategies suitable for refugee camps to improve oral health literacy, knowledge and practices.